Jan. 1, 2006: 2005 YEAR IN REVIEW | TOP 10 STORIES: TAKING A LOCAL LOOK BACK

What to do with all those luxurious homes, the gazebo and the marina? Could the state's next big tourism draw be sitting on the edge of the Peninsula? Faced with losing historic Fort Monroe, the city of Hampton has to figure out what's next for the Army post, now slated to close in 2011.

2. Lingering snags on I-64.

Lane switches, closures and orange barrels as far as the eye can see, the Mercury interchange project continues to drag on and on and on. It's supposed to be finished in August. Stay tuned.

After months of infighting, the Hampton City Council fires longtime City Manager George Wallace in February, sparking a failed campaign to get one council member -- Randy Gilliland -- recalled and leading to lawsuits claiming that Wallace's dismissal was racially motivated.

4. Daryl Atkins' trial.

In 1998, Daryl Atkins was sentenced to die for killing a Langley airman in York County. His case was the basis of a 2002 Supreme Court decision barring the mentally retarded from execution. Atkins goes to trial again in August, but a jury decides that he isn't retarded.

5. Revolutionary changes.

In Colonial Williamsburg, a Colin Farrell movie premiere brings Hollywood flash and land goes up for sale as plans hatch for development by Riverside Health System and the first gubernatorial inauguration since 1779.

6. Carrier anxiety.

The possibility of Hampton Roads losing an aircraft carrier comes up when the Navy said it wants to retire the Florida-based, conventionally powered John F. Kennedy as a cost-cutting measure. Navy officials say they want to replace the Kennedy with one of Norfolk's five nuclear-powered carriers to spread out the East Coast fleet. Congress nixes the Navy plan, but it's likely to come up again.

7. Cancer, be gone.

Hampton University gets the go-ahead to build a $189 million proton-beam therapy center that will use cutting-edge technology to treat cancer patients. Only a handful of centers exist across the country.

8. Taylor Behl.

The September disappearance of college freshman Taylor Behl captures the nation's attention as stories about the Virginia Commonwealth University student unfold on Internet Web logs. It becomes a Hampton Roads story when her body is found a month later in a remote area of Mathews County.

9. The Davion Mutts killing.

Shuttled from house to house during his short life, 4-year-old Davion Mutts disappears July 13 in Hampton, sparking a massive search by neighbors and police. His burned, bruised and scarred body is found under brush a few days later, leading to a murder charge against his aunt's boyfriend.

10. Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

A Daily Press investigation finds that the 11 members of the quasi-public commission running the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel spared no expense using toll revenues to treat themselves in the name of "research," including lavish dinners in Washington and at a topless cabaret in Paris. State lawmakers begin demanding changes for the relatively little-used Hampton Roads-Eastern Shore connector.